


Silence is Golden Treasure

by MarvelousSpoiler



Category: A Heist With Markiplier, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Little Mermaid Elements, Multi, Pirates, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:35:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21813022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarvelousSpoiler/pseuds/MarvelousSpoiler
Summary: You were a merfolken - a member of the mythical undersea race of mermaids and mermen. Every young member of the merfolk seemed to have a phase where they were curious about the land dwellers, but your curiosity would soon be changed after a encounter with a young sailor.You wanted to be apart of the land folk's world, but your ignorance would be your downfall as you become trapped in a spell you can't break - unable to become fully human nor fully merfolken.... Well, maybe you can be a sailor at the very least. Let's just hope you don't run into any pirates.
Relationships: Captain magnum/reader
Kudos: 9





	Silence is Golden Treasure

Before there was land, there was the sea. Older than songs, older than time, unending and vast and so powerful. You could almost pity those poor land dwellers who’d never know the true nature of the sea, and those who called it’s mysterious fathoms home.

‘They call us Sirens, and fear our songs.’ Said one of your brothers, the musical tones of the sea’s language falling easy from his lips.

‘They call us Merrow, and dream of our beauty.’ Added one of your sisters, languishing on the coastal shelf.

‘They call us Undines, and say that we’re the sea itself!’ Piped in another sibling, excitingly grabbing your hands.

‘Oh, and some of them call us Nereids and believe we’re deities of our sea!’ That caused a melody of laughter to erupt from all of you. To think those land folk would be so blind that someone could actually have power over the sea!

As the youngest in this pod, and had yet to meet a land dweller – but your elders were always happy to regale you with their tales of sailors they’d spotted, ships they’ve wrecked, and the strange land riches they’d find among the sea floor.

They were status symbols amongst the merfolk, many of your elders sporting shiny golden necklaces and tiaras and more. Every young merfolken yearns for when they’d be able to wear their first land bauble.

‘Your time will come, little guppy.’ You’d be told as a sister would pin up her hair with silver and rubies.

‘You’ll join us one day, and your song will be sweetest of all!’ A brother would comfort you, his arms covered in bracelets to where every gesture caught the light.

‘The land folk won’t know what hit them.’ They’d say with smiles sharp like sharks, excited for you to help them curse land folk for daring to try and navigate your home. They were more excited than you felt.

Of course, every young merfolken went through a ‘phase’ where they’d want to befriend land dwellers and learn about them… but those phases lasted as long as it took to either watch a sibling be speared by a harpoon and dissolve into sea foam, or until it happened to you.

But even so… you wanted something more. Not that you can tell your siblings – the teasing you would get! The dangers of the land dwellers and their rough violent ways were legendary. You weren’t a juvenile anymore. You were mature, and almost ready to join the others.

Surely, your curiosity wouldn’t hurt anyone…

That’s what you thought as you stared at the shadow of a ship passing overhead. You should dive down into the dark depths and wait. You should go alert one of your elders so they could deal with the land dweller’s wooden vessel. You should do anything other than what was going through your head.

‘It wouldn’t hurt to look…’

Just a peek, sticking your head above the surface, and you’ll swim off!

But, you couldn’t see any land dwellers – just more of the wood of the ship. But there were also places where you know you could grab onto and pull yourself up.

You could hear the land dwellers and their rough voices, so unlike the melodies of you and your siblings!

You can climb up, peek for one second, and dive down…

It was difficult – your tail just dead weight as you pulled yourself up with none of the sea to give you buoyancy. How did land folk do anything without the sea’s help? Luckily, all of the land folk seemed to be screaming something, drowning out the sounds of your grunts as you finally reached a stopping point – a small ledge to sit on and peek in on the land dwellers.

Their split fins carried them quick over the ship’s wood, yelling and messing with ropes and large cloths. They had such a strange language. You wished you knew what they were saying. But, you got your look. You should dive down; you should get away before they grab a harpoon… but none of them even were looking at you.

They were looking up at the storm clouds. Did land folk fear storms? Strange.

Suddenly, there was a gasp, followed by a rough voice whispering something from above you. Oh no, you were spotted! You were going to get in so much trouble and –

Oh… Dark blue eyes met your own, a land dweller peeking his head from over a railing and staring at you in pure awe. His eyes were the color of the deepest fathoms of the sea, where you’d make your home. He seemed mature, you’d guess his age to be about your own; about three centuries, give or take a decade. He certainly couldn’t be five centuries, there was barely stubble where a beard would grow.

And… he was handsome, his dark hair tousled by the rising winds and his beautiful eyes trailing from your face, to your torso, to your tail – your tail!

You were going to be in so much trouble if anyone ever found out, and that realization is what made you push yourself away from the ship, away from that land dweller, and dive back into the ocean. You could make out that land dweller’s rough voice calling out even as you passed below the surface.

‘Stupid, stupid, stupid!’ You berated yourself, anxiously swimming in circles. Your siblings weren’t around, there’s no way anyone would know that you let a land dweller see you and live. Or that you went above the surface when you weren’t supposed to. Or that you went towards land folk in the first place without knowing how to properly weave magic into your song to get away!

You were so screwed if anyone found out, and anxiously, you glanced over to where the shadow of the ship should’ve been and gasped.

The water glowed orange and yellow, wait – it wasn’t the water… The ship itself was glowing with those angry dances of color. It was beautiful, and instinctively you knew it was dangerous. Was this why the land folk feared storms?

As you watched, smaller boats were tossed into the sea, with land folk in them all looking at their ship and not down at your own shadow beneath the surface.

You had already gotten into enough trouble for one day, but you stayed and watched. You’d look back and forth from the land dwellers to the glowing ship sinking slowly to become a part of your home. Maybe they had some baubles, and some good would come out of this after all!

But, among the land folk… you didn’t see the one with the dark sea eyes among. He wasn’t among the small boats… was he still on the glowing ship?

A loud sound echoed, the ship cracked and splintered and sunk faster – the glow disappearing as it touched the sea… and as it passed below, and passed you, you saw him. His ocean eyes were fearful as he was being dragged down with the ship – one of his two separate fins they used on land caught in the rope.

He was struggling. Land folk didn’t have gills to breathe in the sea. The smaller boats had already left too… he’d die. You were swimming towards him, watching him struggle to free himself. He’ll die. He looked frantic as the darkness grew, his eyes widening even more as he saw you. He’ll die.

Bubbles escaped his mouth, water filling it, and as you reached him, his eyes closed… But he wasn’t dead yet. Acting before you could think, you tore apart the rope that held him, and gathered him into your arms.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. He was larger than mermen you knew, but his his heartbeat still beneath your hands. ‘…Air.’ All it took was a single flick of your powerful tail and you were both breaching the surface, him unconscious in your arms.

Warm… he was so warm. What a strange sensation, his warmth spreading over your chilled skin. Were all land folk so warm? He was breathing the air now, though his eyes remained closed. He couldn’t stay out here, he had no gills, and the smaller boats had already moved on…

But, the ships you’ve seen pass by all came from one direction – surely that was where a boundary was between land and sea… So with unfamiliar warmth radiating from the land dweller, you began to swim.

Who knows for how long, the sun rose as you held this land dweller in your arms before the water began to shallow and you realized you had reached a boundary... But his eyes were still closed. Would they open again? If you just left him here in the shallows he might float back to sea, or become food for a predator or…

Stupid, stupid… you began to drag both him and you up from the water, and through the sand until he was safely away from the sea’s edge, with you hovering over him… He was so handsome…

‘… Hello.’ You cooed softly to the man still asleep, gently moving his wet hair from his face. ‘Who are you?’ You wondered, your music soft as you spoke, wondering over him. What was his life like here on the shore? Where did he go? What do they do?

You sang your questions to him, gently memorizing every line of his face. You were always so curious and inquisitive about land dwellers… but now… this was not a phase that would disappear. Land dwellers were warm! None of your siblings ever mentioned that! You so desperately wanted to know more about them, each question you sang giving way to more of them. You needed the answers.

Suddenly, you could hear rough voices – land dweller voices, steadily getting nearer. You had to go… ‘I’ll be back, The One With Eyes Like My Home.’ You promised softly to the land dweller, watching him begin to stir as the rough voices drew closer…

By the time he rose, others of his kind near him, you were gone.

You wanted to become a land folk…

Your siblings noticed a change, noticed how you began to seek out the company of sea witches and other grand weavers of magic. Your questions would make them hiss at you, chasing you off with your clearly dangerous ideas.

You wanted to be a land dweller.

Your siblings would coo lullabies to you to ease you. Their skin was as cold as yours. Your elders would remind you that you were born of ocean and ocean you’d become once more as it should be. Their voices were melodic and beautiful, not rough. You shouldn’t seek out land dwellers. You couldn’t tell anyone how you wanted to become one.

Months stretched into years, and years into almost two decades. A paltry amount of time but you were so impatient…

And finally, you met someone who would help you.

‘Why, child?’ The sea witch asked, her dark eyes focused on you, knowing what you wanted without you even being able to speak it. She wanted truth.

‘I want to know.’ You pleaded, your song mournful as her tail swayed and showed her uncertainty.

‘You won’t be able to live under our waves.’ She began, reciting the things you’ve been told over and over again. No, not another dead end –

‘You’ll be trapped to that world and unable to come home.’ You watched her, with your eyes wide as she said things you hadn’t heard before. ‘You’ll be lost and confused and alone, little merfolken.’

‘But, I won’t be alone! I’ll find The One With Eyes Like My Home and –‘ you said too much, and the sea witch’s eyes widened, hissing suddenly.

‘You want this… because of a land dweller?!’ She was disgusted and shame and rage colored your face.

‘No!’ You cried, desperate. ‘Not just because of him, but because of me too. I – I felt his warmth on my skin. I want to know what it’s like. I want to…’

‘Enough… enough!’ The sea witch turned away from you as angry tears spilled from your eyes. It was another dead end…

Or so you thought.

‘Land folk, true ones have souls… that’s their afterlife.’ The sea witch said, rummaging through her reagents. ‘We don’t have that… If I do this… when you die you won’t become a part of our home once more… you’ll have no afterlife at all… Unless…’

‘Unless?!’

‘If- and only if - you can find a land dweller to kiss you as a lover does… then you’ll have a soul and can truly be like them.’

‘But, how can I do that?’ Hope, a beautiful painful feeling burned in your chest as you grabbed the sea witch’s arms. She’d help you become a land dweller. She’d help! ‘How?!’

‘There’s a spell, little one.’ The witch said, as if you were a juvenile asking why the ocean was blue. ‘One that will allow you to appear like a land folk before you become one.’

‘Really?!’ You were smiling, overjoyed. All this searching and –

‘Yes, but you’ll have to give up your song for it to work. It that will be temporary until either you fulfill the spell, or until the spell is lifted off of you… You do know how to lift a spell off you, right?’

‘Of course, I do!’ You lied, finally seeing the end. ‘I’m a pretty advanced spell weaver! If I can’t find The One With Eyes Like My Home, then I’ll return to the sea. But I will find him! I’ll be a land folk! Thank you!’ You shouted, hugging her tight.

‘…Don’t thank me yet little one…’ The sea witch said, hugging you back before detangling herself and holding up an ancient shell. ‘Now… sing.’

You did, and suddenly you were in pain. Your gills burned. Your chest burned. Your tail burned. Everything about you was in pure pain and you screamed – watching as bubbles began to escape your throat just like the land dweller had those two decades ago.

‘Good luck, little one.’

The sea witch extended her hand to you, and suddenly a rip current appeared and began to carry you to the surface as your chest burned and your eyes closed.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I hope you enjoyed! Leave me a comment if you'd like! 
> 
> The next chapter will detail your experiences with the 'land folk,' so you may have to wait until chapter 3 for any real action.


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